The La Follette School announced today the establishment of the Curt and Sue Culver Professorship in Public Policy Education. The new professorship, which was made possible by a generous $250,000 gift from Curt and Sue Culver, will recognize a La Follette School faculty member who demonstrates excellence in teaching and student mentorship. The recipient will personify the school’s mission to foster dialogue across differences, exemplify the Wisconsin Idea, and teach from all ideological perspectives in the classroom. The new professorship was announced today at the La Follette School’s Board of Visitors meeting.
This gift builds on Curt and Sue Culver’s ongoing work to support students as they learn nonpartisan, evidence-based approaches to solving policy issues. In 2016, the two launched the Curt & Sue Culver Graduate Fellowship Fund in Public Service to provide financial assistance to some of the La Follette School’s top policy students. Having put himself through college with the help of financial aid, Curt Culver has made a point of giving back to the university so that others can have the same opportunities that he has had.
Culver shares, “A wonderful mentor of mine told me many years ago, your legacy in life isn’t about what you did for a living, but rather what you did with your living. To that end, I can’t think of anything more important than supporting professors who teach students how to think, not what to think. That’s why Sue and I are so excited about this opportunity.”
The new professorship, which will be awarded for a five-year term to a tenured faculty member in the La Follette School, will support the school’s focus on promoting civil conversations and bridging political divides. These themes will be a cornerstone of the school’s proposed new undergraduate Major in Public Policy. In his role as a La Follette School Board of Visitors member, Curt Culver has acted as a champion and trusted advisor to the school. Last fall, Culver and La Follette School Director Susan Webb Yackee shared their views on the importance of finding common ground in a polarizing political climate in an op-ed that appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
“Every day, our dedicated faculty work hard to equip tomorrow’s leaders with the skills they need to address the most pressing public policy issues of our times,” says Yackee. “This professorship will help us recognize an outstanding member of our faculty who teaches students to have civil, respectful conversations across differences and goes above and beyond in their commitment to our students. We are so thankful to Curt and Sue for making this possible.”
Curt Culver, who has been a member of La Follette’s Board since 2015, served for 15 years as chief executive officer of MGIC Investment Corporation. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in real estate and urban land economics from UW–Madison and has long been closely involved with the university, having served as a lecturer for more than 20 years in the School of Business.
The professorship selection process is currently underway, and the Curt and Sue Culver Professor in Public Policy Education will be named in December 2024.
“This generous gift adds to the great legacy Curt and Sue Culver are creating with their philanthropy at UW-Madison. The Culvers have not only helped make a UW education attainable for students, but they are also making that education stronger in critical fields such as public policy. We are grateful for their support,” said Mike Knetter, Chief Executive Officer of the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.